A REACH Air Medical Services helicopter crashed onto Highway 50 in Sacramento, California, causing eastbound traffic to shut down Monday night. A response team has tended to the incident and reported that multiple crew members were critically injured and taken to local hospitals. According to REACH, no patient was aboard the helicopter at the time of impact.
Sacramento Helicopter Crash
According to flight-tracking data, the helicopter had just lifted off from UC Davis Medical Center when it crashed on October 6, 2025. California Highway Patrol (CHP) logs indicated the crash occurred just after 7 p.m. local time on eastbound Highway 50, east of Stockton Boulevard. Lanes were closed for hours before they reopened after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning.
The California Highway Patrol worked with the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration to assess the wreck. They investigated whether it was appropriate to move the helicopter off the freeway and open the eastbound lanes, which they ultimately did. “We are in the process of determining the details of this situation, as well as the condition of the REACH crew involved,” CHP said.
According to the Sacramento Fire Department, three medical professionals were in critical condition. Although there was no patient on board, a pilot, nurse, and paramedic suffered injuries. A spokesperson for the fire department, Captain Justin Sylvia, reported that one person was trapped under the helicopter following the crash.
It took a group of 15 bystanders who rushed in to help first responders on-scene to lift the helicopter off the ground and save the person. “It just shows a sense of community that everyone wants to lend a hand,” Sylvia said. “Everyone wants to help out when the time comes, and this was one of those times where we needed that help.”
Smoke Fills the Sky
Thankfully, no other vehicles were struck by the helicopter when it crashed. However, many were indirectly affected, namely, the individuals on Highway 50. Caltrans traffic cameras showed the buildup of traffic that lasted for hours. Drivers began capturing their view of the incident, which showed smoke rising from the area where the helicopter went down, but Sacramento Fire confirmed there was no fire.
If there had been a fire, Sylvia said it would have been much worse, and the crews would have needed to transport water onto the freeway. Due to the heavy traffic, first responders were already having trouble, so if there was a fire, they may not have made it in time.
It is unclear whether the crew was attempting to make an emergency landing, according to CHP spokesperson Michael Harper. KCRA 3 obtained a TikTok video that shows a helicopter flying low above the freeway before going off-screen, and when it panned back to the aircraft, it was lying on its side with the rotors tearing into the road.
Further Investigation
Following the helicopter crash, REACH Air Medical Services released a statement on social media:
“We are aware of an accident involving a REACH Air Medical helicopter on Highway 50 in Sacramento this evening and are keeping all those impacted in our thoughts and prayers.
We are in the process of determining the details of this situation, as well as the condition of the REACH crew involved, who were all taken to area hospitals. We will continue to provide information as it becomes available. There was no patient on board.
We appreciate the concern and support from our community and will share updates when appropriate.”
Flight records of the REACH helicopter showed it left Redding Regional Airport at 5:05 p.m. and landed at Red Bluff Airport 12 minutes later. It left that facility at 5:50 p.m. and finally landed at UC Davis Medical Center at 6:36 p.m. Flightradar24 data later shows the aircraft departed at 7:05 p.m., and it disappeared from the radar three minutes later when it flew above Highway 50. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are working together on the investigation into the crash.
